Veteran Corman Park Councillor John Germs is looking to represent Division 1 at the decision-making table for the next four years.
Municipal elections for odd-numbered divisions in rural municipalities province-wide is slated for November 9.
“I will let my name stand,” said Germs in an interview. “I’ve talked to quite a few folks in my area, and what I’m hearing from the agriculture community is that we need a strong voice for farmers on the council. That’s one of the reasons I’m running.
“Another reason is that there is still a lot of work to be done on so many fronts.”
With about 20 years of continuous service under his belt, Germs is one of the longest-serving councillors.
“When I first got on council, I didn’t have any grey hair,” said Germs. “It’s pretty silver-coloured now, but at least it’s still there.”
Germs said the RM has invested heavily in infrastructure in response to the growth within the municipality over the past several years. But, he added, it’s always a balancing act when it comes to meeting additional needs with finite resources.
“Dust control is always an issue, for example,” said Germs. “Who pays for it; how often should it be applied; and what are the traffic thresholds for when it’s applied. Questions like that all have to be dealt with.
“Overall I think our road maintenance program is good, but as traffic increases we have to keep re-evaluating it.”
Germs said one of the issues that’s likely to gain a higher profile in the coming months is the route of the new Saskatoon Freeway on the east side of the river.
“People are looking forward to identifying the actual sweep of the road itself,” said Germs. “Right now it’s a very wide corridor, and land is being tied up until the final corridor has been defined.
“I know a couple homeowners where the highway will go right through their dwelling,” he said. “That’s very unnerving for them. They’re questioning their future and how much time they have left on that land.”
Germs said he has “mixed thoughts” on the Saskatoon North Partnership for Growth (P4G). While he’s optimistic regional cooperation between the RM and its urban neighbours will lead to benefits, he has reservations about potential weakening of municipal decision-making powers. The new P4G planning district, he said, may add an additional level of bureaucracy.
“I’m of the opinion that we need less government, not more,” he said. “And now we have a plan going forward that involves four urban municipalities and one rural municipality. That could be a good thing when it comes to future planning, but it still makes me nervous.”
Germs said the area of Corman Park northeast of Saskatoon is unique in many ways.
“Saskatoon has identified that area for future urban growth,” said Germs. “But because of the northeast swale and drainage issues development opportunities are very limited, and there is virtually no compensation for landowners whose private land is to be used for stormwater drainage. Some ratepayers are very uncomfortable with that.”